ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond Senior High School played with Moore energy in Saturday’s non-conference series closer.
Back on the diamond less than a day after suffering a loss to Northside-Pinetown High School, the Lady Raiders dug deep and walked off Game 2 of the series.
Trailing by two runs entering the home half of the seventh inning, Richmond scored three runs to defeat the Lady Panthers 9-8.
Sophomore Jorja Moore delivered the walk-off RBI single with two outs, one at-bat after freshman Carley McCormick tied the game with an RBI base hit.
Moore’s single off reliever Allie Davis was a hard ground ball through the left side of the infield. Racing in from third base to start the celebration was junior Kinsie Lyerly, who was intentionally walked to load the bases earlier in the inning.
Dialed in from the circle was senior pitcher Madelynn Pearson, who bounced back after Friday’s loss with a complete game performance. She struck out seven batters across seven innings and gave up eight earned runs on eight hits and five walks.
The Lady Panthers scored a pair of runs in the top of the first inning but Richmond answered back in the bottom half to gain a 4-2 lead.
Sophomore Emma Rusich got the Lady Raiders on the board with an RBI single to left field with the bases loaded, scoring Pearson (single).
Lyerly stepped in two at-bats later with the bases still loaded and two outs and plastered a bases-clearing three-RBI double to the corner in right field. Scoring were senior Jakayla Steele (single), Rusich (single) and courtesy runner Olivia Brown.
In the bottom of the third, Richmond took its biggest lead of the game, 5-1, when Smith recorded an RBI groundout to second base. Scoring on the play was Steele, who doubled earlier in the inning, one of her team-high four hits.
The Lady Panthers scored four runs in the top of the fourth to regain the lead and added a solo run an inning later to extend their advantage to 7-5.
Lyerly, who had a team-high four RBI, recorded her final one in the bottom of the fifth. Singling to reach safely, Lyerly drove in Steele (single) to make it a one-run deficit.
Northside-Pinetown added its final run in the top of the sixth, but it would prove to be not enough insurance in the final inning.
Richmond’s three-run rally started in the seventh when Steele hit a one-out double and scored two pitches later when Rusich connected on her third hit of the game, a single.
That set up McCormick to drive in a run and Moore to walk it off with just one out left on the board.
The Lady Raiders (4-7, 2-3 Sandhills Athletic Conference) will wrap up the first round of conference play Tuesday with a home game against current SAC leader Scotland High School (8-1, 5-0 SAC). First pitch is set for 7 p.m.
Sports editor’s note: Statistics and game information provided by Richmond’s Game Changer.
